A Bean guide for families

A picture communication board that feels familiar.

By Gorse Bush Studios · October 9, 2026

A picture communication app connects something you can see with something you want to say. In Bean, tap an illustrated word or a personal photo to speak it aloud.

Use illustrations or your own photos

Bean includes illustrated words for food, toys, people, animals, feelings, and daily routines. You can also use a photo of a favorite toy, a family member, or a place you visit. Personal photos stay still, while selected included illustrations can animate on a tap.

Change the picture on an existing word

1. Touch and hold the tile, then choose Change Picture.
2. Choose a picture from Photos or take one with the camera on a supported device.
3. Move and zoom the photo in the square cropper until the important part is clear.
4. Save your selection. The word keeps its existing place and spoken label.

Choose a clear photo with the relevant person or object easy to see. You can restore the included illustration later through the personal-photo controls in Settings.

Add a word that belongs to your family

Choose Add Tile, enter the word or short phrase, choose a photo, and select a preset category or a custom group. For example, you might create a tile for a particular stuffed animal using the name your family calls it. New tiles are included in the voice recording flow, too.

Keep useful words together

Touch and hold a tile to add it to Favorites or a custom group. You could make a Playtime group for toys or a Mealtime group for familiar foods. Tiles are alphabetized within groups. Hide Tile removes a word from the board without deleting its saved photo or recording; Settings → Hidden Tiles lets you show it again.

Make room for the pictures

Use the Tiles Across slider in Settings to choose the number of columns. Fewer columns give each picture more room. The board uses Previous and Next controls rather than scrolling. Optional sentence building lets you collect words before speaking.

New to the app? Read the introduction to Bean for toddlers and preschoolers.